Monday, 31 October 2011

Happy Halloween everyone, I hope you're all having fun, tonight we are going for a meal at the local pub where they will be serving a spooky menu.
Warning this post is photo heavy !!!!!!!!! I know this post has nothing to do with crafting but the reason I'm showing family photo's at the end of each month is because I have my blog printed into a book each year and it's so nice to look back at all the good times. Here's some of my photo's from this month, starting with my friend Kerry's Hat Party, we all had such a good night.

Me & Jul's

Michelle & Colin

Me

Paige & Dan (the posers)

Michelle, Kerry (birthday girl) and Jax

Jon

Heath & Rich

Mick

Birthday Girl

Garb

Spa weekend for Linda's 50th Birthday.....

The Gang

Naughty Di, putting up a saucy photo of Linda.

This was the snow cave with real snow, we put snow on Tina's back just a the photo was taken,lol.

Tina & Chris

Linda making a little speech

Di with her swimwear filling with water,lol..
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﻿Dinner....

A day in Birmingham with Paige and lunch at Jamie Olivers Italian.....

Sunday, 30 October 2011

We all love Christmas in our house and enjoy all the build up to it, which in the U.K. starts in October. I have started my Christmas shopping and have even made some handmade gifts. Yesterday we went to Webbs of Wychbold to look at their Christmas department, they always have wonderful displays but I think this year they have excelled themselves. Here's a few photo's using my retro Barbl camera on my phone.

Winter Wonderland

A Sign For All Those Naughty Children !!!

Baby's First Christmas.

Good Enough to Eat.

Who's That Girl ?

1930's Glamour

Baby it's Cold Outside.

How cool is this body warmer, it's Paigey Polar Bear﻿, she wasn't too impressed when I made her stand in the store with it on so I could take her photo,lol. They also had a t-shirt with two snowmen with button eyes and carrot noses on the front and one was saying to the other " can you smell carrots", I'm still roaring with laughter everytime I think of it.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I hope I haven't made too many people go "oh no not Christmas, already", hehe.

Friday, 28 October 2011

Can you believe it's nearly the end of October, which means Halloween time, I always make my nieces and nephew a treat bag for when they come Trick or Treating. When I saw this week's challenge over at The Shabby Tea Room, it was to make an Halloween themed project using, purple, orange, black and neutral with twine or rafia, they also included this wonderful inspiration photo.

Here are my Halloween treat bags, all supplies are from Stampin'Up except the brown paper bags.

I can't wait to see what they are going to get dressed up as this year,this was three of my nieces last Halloween.

Tuesday, 25 October 2011

It's been two weeks since my last Tuesday's Tallies post, I didn't get much done and it didn't look any different from the previous week. If I'm honest,I'm not in love with the AF hexagons or maybe it's the colours but I'm struggling to pick it up. I have done 44 though and I will finish it eventually but maybe not one a day.

I have gone back to the Springtime Throw though from the Cute & Easy Crochet book which I started in the summer.

I'm enjoying crocheting this more and the squares are only little so it doesn't take very long to do one, it probably takes just over an hour to make 6 squares and sew in the ends, so this will be my new One-A-Day. I've now got 120 squares just another 300 odd to go. Now I've got a few made, I think I might start crocheting them together so I can see it growing. I'm using mostly Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK with some King Cole and Wendy Merino, it's going to be so snugly and soft when it's finished.

You can check out everybody else's progress over at Gingerbread Girl's blog, I've noticed a few have started the ripple blanket too, I started mine over the weekend and loving it but will share more of that in a different post.

I'd just like to thank everyone who left me such kind comments on yesterday's post congratulating me on my new DT post, I'm really touched.

Monday, 24 October 2011

Hello, my friends, I hope you had a good weekend, well I had some good news on Friday night. I've been a big fan of Joanna Munster's blog Inspired by Stamping since the start. She is a very talented lady and at the beginning of this month she opened an online shop selling her own design clear stamps and put out a Design Team Call. I thought I would try my luck and was absolutely gob smacked when I received the email on Friday congratulating me on been part of the new DT., to say I felt very honoured and excited was putting it mildly,lol.
The stamp sets all work together beautifully and the sentiments fit perfectly with Nestabilities, also at the moment it is free standard shipping with all orders over $75 anywhere in the world so why not head over to the shop and take a little look.
Thank you Joanna for this wonderful opportunity and good luck with your new venture, here's a list of all the very talented ladies who also made the DT.

Friday, 21 October 2011

Hi, there, how's life treating you all, good I hope.Yesterday, I was looking at Mona's post and she'd used a sketch from a challenge blog I'd not heard of before, as I love to use sketches I headed straight over there. It's called Freshly Made Sketches, the idea behind this challenge blog is to use the sketch provided and to create a "clean" card, by clean they want you to avoid distressing, torn edges but still with the detail and embellishments and lots of "white space" and clean edges.Here's sketch #7.

I like to have a supply of Wedding Anniversary cards and I have just used my last one so I used the sketch for inspiration to make one.

I have quite a collection of fabrics now so decided to make some fabric flowers using a Marrianne die, I'm really pleased with how they've turned out and will certainly be making more.

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

It's another great colour combo over at CR84FN, red,brown & kraft though I love these colours for any occasion it made me think of Christmas.

Here's my card:

I stamped the background label from the SU Everything Elenor stamp set onto kraft card and distressed,I then stamped the sentiment onto the embossed Sizzix Designer Frame and tore around the edge. The brown striped paper is from The Robin's Nest and the red dotty is some I've had for years which doesn't have a manufacturers name on. I punched the holly leaves out with a Martha Stewart punch and added some little red Prima flowers.Well, that's another Christmas card done, should have a nice little stash by December.
I got home yesterday afternoon after a wonderful couple of days at Lion Quays Hotel & Spa with some great friends, there was 10 of us altogether and we all had a fabulous time, just relaxing, I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a bit of R&R. My favourite part of the spa was the snow cave in the hydro suite which was amazing, it had real snow so couldn't resist a snowball fight,such fun.

Saturday, 15 October 2011

It's time again for the A-Z Challenge over at Scrapbookers Anonymous, this month's letter is C . I've gone with Crate Paper Lemon Grass that I've had for years. I love these challenges set by Theresa and Lea, I'm using up so much of my older stash.
Why not join us this month, it hasn't got to be a paper range, though I do like to use up some of the hundreds of sheets I've got,it can be anything beginning with C, chipboard, cup cakes, children. you get the gist.

Friday, 14 October 2011

It was the lovely Linda's birthday on Wednesday,so here's the card I made for her, which hopefully should be there waiting for her when she gets back from the seaside.

I used a B Line Design stamp and inked it in two different colours, I find this easier to do by using the small ink spots. The papers are MF and Anna Griffin. I hope you had a wonderful day and holiday,Linda.Check out the other cards for Linda over at City Crafter Challenge Blog.
I'm off for a spa weekend at Lion Quays, Oswestry with my girlfriends, I can't wait, it's right on the side of Llangollen Canal.I hope the weather is warm and sunny, like today, I can just see me drinking a glass of wine on the decking overlooking the water.

Friday, 7 October 2011

My friend, Kerry, turned 40 on Wednesday (not sure she'll be to thrilled I've broadcast this to everyone,he,he), even though we live in the same village and our husband's knew each other,our paths had never crossed until just over two years ago. I got chatting to Kerry in a local craft shop and we hit it off straight away, we have so much in common and it's so nice to have someone live so close and have so many of the same interests.
Last time I saw Kerry's Mom she asked if I'd make her a card for Kerry's special birthday, of course I said yes. Kerry calls her Mom her 'Artistic Director' so I wanted it to be perfect, we decided on the colours hot pink and black as that is Kerry's colour theme for her 'Hat Party' tonight.Here's my finished card.

Val was thrilled with the card as was Kerry, *phew*, I always worry when I'm making for someone else that they are going to like it.
I'm off to decide what hat I'm going to wear for tonight, it's going to be a fun night and I will share some photo's with you next week. Have a great weekend, what ever you're up to.

Tuesday, 4 October 2011

I'm back again with my One a Day, Tuesday's Tallies, I haven't got much to report for week 5. I haven't been well this week and haven't picked up my hook until today, Carole asked us how long it takes to do one block/row, it only takes 30 minutes to do one of my African Flower hexagons so I will have caught up by next week. Here's my meagre effort.

I thought I'd give you a little peek of another Christmas present I'm making, I've only got her legs to finish so will do a full Ta-Dah shortly.

Don't forget to take a look over at Gingerbread Girl's blog and check out how everybody else is getting on with their One a Day.
I'm off out now to get a fabulous,relaxing facial and then straight to my friend Pinder's house for a get-together with my crafty pals I should get a bit of hooky done.